


This Is Me Trying

by IsleofInk



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Huddling For Warmth, Hurt/Comfort, Not Beta Read, Panic Attacks, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:20:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25591918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsleofInk/pseuds/IsleofInk
Summary: Pre-Series/Baby Yoda. The Mandalorian is tasked with bringing in a corrupt senator. While on the job he is forced to offer transportation to the senator's hired tutor (it's that or let the Empire get their hands on her). This means four days in space with just each other and maybe some engine trouble. WHAT COULD HAPPEN.
Relationships: The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 40





	1. The Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, LOOK. We have all been stuck at home since March. I’m going stir crazy. So this fic is me trying to reign in some of that stir crazy. I will be putting ALL my favorite tropes in it BECAUSE WHY NOT, NOTHING MATTERS. Panic attack hurt/comfort? Check. Hotel only has one room? Check. Huddling for warmth? Check. Gruff dumbasses who act aloof but secretly really care for each other? Double check. On top of all that this will be my first time writing smut (so please be gentle when critiquing that part). OKAY KIDS HERE WE GO. 
> 
> E’ly - pronounced Eh-LEE

E’ly scrunched her eyes shut while pinching the bridge of her nose. Of all of the teaching contracts in all the planets, she had to have taken one with the galaxy’s most patronizing teenager. Sure, the money was good. Private tutoring positions for politician’s children, even politicians unrecognized by the New Republic, always paid well. And they came with certain amenities like private rooms and no extended time spent in space. However, after three months of trying to teach Epp Erollisi, E’ly was beginning to wonder if it was really worth it. Epp was probably the worst student she had ever had the displeasure of teaching. He was consistently disrespectful, argued with E’ly about the types of assignments she gave, and frequently interrupted her in ways he did not do with the male housekeepers and flight instructors. And at the heart of it, he had no real interest in learning. He just wanted to already have a great sense of political aptitude and skill without the work and dedication that went behind it. 

E’ly sighed and looked out the window. Maybe she would see if she could get through one more month of this, save enough money, and then move on to a new planet and a more interested student. She was more than qualified for almost any teaching position, she had just settled for this one in the name of a little stability. And as unpredictable as Outer-Rim planets could be, this one had been pretty calm if you could ignore the small platoon of Stormtroopers that inhabited the surrounding buildings. And E’ly certainly did her best to ignore them. For now, it was this or scrounge for money and a place to sleep every night--which was perpetually exhausting. Being a private tutor for Senator Erollisi, even within the shadow of the Empire, had been allowing her some much needed rest. E’ly didn’t particularly like the Senator either. He seemed underhanded to her. However, most politicians did. But at least he treated her better than his son. E’ly turned her gaze to the son in question. 15 years old, slicked back black hair, pallid skin with black eyes that were pinched into a perpetual scowl. Right now he was muttering to himself about his dislike of the current assignment. If only he spent as much effort _on_ the assignments as he did complaining about them. 

A glint of light brought E’ly’s gaze back to the window. Her jaw dropped. A small gunship was currently landing in the valley adjacent to the consulate. Only five kilometers away. As far as she was aware the consulate was the only inhabited structure for a hundred kilometers. So what was this armed and battled scared gunship doing so close to them? Reason number 102 to finish up her contract, collect the rest of her money, and find employment elsewhere.

She swallowed down a sense of nervousness and dismissed Epp. If this _was_ a situation, she didn’t want to be anywhere near the senator or his son. Best to hide out until she figured who the visitor was and why they were here. E’ly could fight if she had to, but often found it was better to let other people shoot at each other first and even things out. 

“We’re done for the day. You should go see if your father needs any clerical help.” Epp looked at her suspiciously. She never dismissed him early. But fortunately, he didn’t seem to care enough about her reasoning for any decision so he just grunted, shoved his material to the middle of the table, and swept from the room slamming the door behind him. 

Such an articulate young man. 

E'ly grabbed her rucksack and dug her hand in. She pulled a hair fastener from it and piled her curly, light brown hair on the top of her head, securing it with a band. She then reached back in her bag, this time extracting a pair of dented macrobinoculars. She quickly moved toward the window and focused the device where the gunship had landed. She watched as the ramp lowered and a figure strode down it. A heavily armored and armed figure with a Mandalorian helmet affixed atop their head. Male from what she could tell, so it wasn't the only Mandalorian in the galaxy she was actually on excellent terms with.

Shit. 

What the kriff was a Mandalorian doing at a consulate? Granted, not a very important consulate. And a consulate run by a senator that E’ly had long suspected might be entrenched in dealings with some not so reputable people….

Okay, maybe she had her answer. And E’ly knew from experience that she did not want to be in the middle of any type of conflict with a Mandalorian. She grabbed her rucksack without hesitation and moved quickly to her room to throw the rest of her possessions into her bag. She estimated that if the Mandalorian was moving on foot he would be here in 30 minutes or less. That would give her 20 minutes to scavenge what she could from the house for supplies and slip out the back door before said Mandalorian arrived. E’ly set a timer for 20 minutes and got to work.

* * *

At the end of 20 minutes she was satisfied she would have enough supplies for the 100 kilometer hike to the planet’s spaceport. It wasn’t an ideal way to spend her time, but a two day walk in temperate weather and flat terrain was easily preferable to standing between a kriffing Mandalorian and whatever he was after. 

She swung her rucksack over her shoulder and silently moved down the hall and crept down the stairs to the first level of the building. She moved as quietly as she could through the main foyer and began to make her way to the back exit.

“Ms. Alder,” a controlled voice rang out. 

Kriff. Senator Erollisi strolled out of a room near the exit. 

“Yes sir?” 

“Heading out for a hike?” he inquired. Fortunately, E’ly frequently explored the trails behind the consulate and surrounding buildings for exercise and a way to rest her mind. 

“Yes sir. Epp worked hard today so I let him finish up early. Plus I was really wanting to get outside before it got too late.” She figured a preemptive excuse was the best way to avoid any prolonged questioning. She estimated seven minutes before the Mandalorian reached them. 

The senator sniffed, his brows scowling down in a manner eerily similar to his son. “Very well. Just be sure to not stay out too late.” 

E’ly pushed out a small smile. She did not like the assumption the senator had that he could control what she did with her free time. But now was not the time to pick a fight. 

“Yes sir.” E’ly turned to leave just as six Stormtroopers pushed through her exit and a flash and small explosion sounded from the front of the house. 

Fuck. The Mandalorian was here. She had underestimated his arrival by five minutes.

* * *

Din Djarin stepped confidently through the smoke of where the door to the consulate used to be. The thermal scan in his helmet told him there were nine life forms in the house. He needed to move quickly before the rest of the Stormtrooper platoons were alerted to what was happening. He strode through the house, scanning each room as he passed by for hidden threats. When he reached the back of the house he realized there were some critical tactical decisions to be made. 

The group of humans was clustered in front of a rear exit with a woman being held by each arm by two of the Stormtroopers. Curly hair piled up on the top of her head with tendrils loose at the sides. Blue eyes glared at him. 

“You know the lock on the door was _broken_ , right? You didn’t have to blow it up.” 

Din stared. He actually _hadn’t_ tried the door. He was much too accustomed to having to take buildings by force. No matter. A strong entrance could often be a tactical advantage. However, in this instance it seemed to have resulted in the senator and his Stormtroopers using the woman as a human shield. Cowards. 

While her eyes betrayed some fear, her face was set with determination. The Stormtroopers were holding her upper arms and her forearms were folded up with her hands balled in fists near her chest. She was ready to fight. 

“Senator Erollisi, I have a bounty puck ordering your capture and delivery to the Guild. The contract prefers that you be delivered alive but it is not a requirement. I suggest you come with me now.” 

The senator laughed. His face was identical to his son’s--both lined with superiority and derision. “Mandalorian, I suggest that _you_ back off and let us leave through this door or we will shoot E’ly here in the head.” 

E’ly’s eyes widened at that. But Din saw her square her shoulders and unclench one of her fists to hold up three fingers. She stared directly at him as she put down one finger. Two. She was counting down. He smirked inside of his helmet and nodded his head once. As she withdrew her last finger she yanked her right arm to her left shoulder and then drew her arm back across her body slamming the back of her fist straight into the face of the trooper on her right. She then used her body weight to pull the other Stormtrooper down to the ground along with her, yelling as she went. Din drew each blaster and shot three of the troopers that were standing between him and the Erollosi duo. The fourth dodged out of the way and tried to tackle Din but he was ready for this, deftly stepping out of the way, tripping him and knocking him out cold on the way to the ground. 

E’ly had also managed to knock one of the Stormtroopers out but the other was currently crouched over her trying to strangle her. Din shot him through the head. 

E’ly drew in a breath and coughed and she pushed the dead weight off of her. She rolled to her side, jumped up and moved so she was no longer standing between Din and the senator. 

The latter man now looked furious. “You fucking bitch,” he spat at her. 

E’ly glared at him while rummaging through her rucksack. “I might have tried to help you if you hadn’t used my life as a bargaining chip. But you did. So fuck you.” 

Din smirked again to himself. She was certainly spirited. But now was not the time to dwell on this. He had a limited amount of time before the rest of the Stormtroopers found their way into the house and made this situation even more complicated. He unclipped a pair of stun cuffs from his waist and held them out to the elder Erollosi. “Put these on.” 

The teenager chose this moment to protest. “You cannot treat us this way. We are the Erollosis and are very important dignitaries on this planet. The regional governor _will_ be hearing about this,” he stuttered out with as much importance as he could muster. 

E’ly rolled her eyes, pulled a blaster from her bag, and stunned the kid without hesitation. 

Din glanced at her questioningly but with growing respect. 

“He’s a pain in the ass and I’ve wanted to stun him for months but he definitely doesn’t deserve to die,” she stated while eyeing Din’s raised blaster. 

He let out a breath of amusement as he stepped forward to cuff the senator. He was staring at E’ly with a murderous expression. “I will kill you, you bitch.” 

“And I will gag you if you do not keep your mouth shut,” stated Din and he tightened the cuffs a little harder than was necessary around the senator’s wrists. 

E’ly bent shoved the blaster back in her rucksack and then shouldered it. She turned to Erollosi. “Well, it’s been a real pleasure, senator.” She chuckled at his enraged expression. She turned to Din and gave him a two fingered salute. “Mandalorian, nice to meet you, hope to never see you again.” 

“Where do you plan on going?” Din asked, staring at her. 

She raised her eyebrows. “I’m not sticking around here to deal with more Stormtroopers. I’m hoofing it to the closest spaceport and getting off this rock.” 

“Then I would advise you _against_ journeying towards the spaceport. The Empire has seized control. There’s an embargo on all private travel.” 

E’ly paled. “How do you know that?”

“Comms chatter when I landed. They’re all over the place.”

“Fuck,” she whispered. She glanced up at Din, concern written at the corner of her eyes. “How much would you charge for transport?” 

He considered her. She seemed smart and capable and was clearly a competent fighter. He didn’t think she would slow him down on the way back to the Crest. Plus, she _had_ helped him capture Erollosi very quickly. 

“Transport to where?” 

“Wherever you’re going. I can find work pretty easily on any planet.” 

He gave her another long look. He wondered briefly what exactly she did for work but decided this was not the time for discussion. “It’s on the house,” he finally answered.

Her eyes widened at this. “Seriously?”

“Yes. You helped me capture him quickly. And I imagine my presence here has shortened your own job contract. Consider it compensation.” 

She gave him a wide smile, adjusted her rucksack, gave one last look to the unconscious Epp, and then followed him out the door.


	2. The Journey

The Mandalorian kept up a brisk pace on the way back to his ship. It was a little faster than E’ly normally walked, but she was teeming with anxiety and this was actually working as a really great way to keep her worried thoughts at bay. She didn’t love the idea of being trapped in a small ship with both Erollosi and the Mandalorian but with the latter charging her nothing for the transportation, it was significantly better than any deal she would have gotten at the spaceport. Plus her experience with Mandalorians was that while yes, they could be terrifying, they were also respectful and honorable. E’ly knew as long as she didn’t piss the helmeted man off, she would be safe. 

It was a lesson that Erollosi had not been able to learn quickly enough. A kilometer after they began their trek to the ship he had started to threaten E’ly again and tried to fear-monger the Mandalorian. E’ly had snorted at this which only made him angrier. The Mandalorian then demonstrated that his threat to gag Erollosi had not been an idle one. He removed a gag from his utility belt and fastened it to Erollosi’s mouth. E’ly couldn’t help herself as she smirked at the senator. No, this wasn’t how she wanted her time here to end, but given how quickly he had tried to use her life to barter for his own, she found herself mainly relieved that she was leaving the planet with a heavily armed Mandalorian. _And_ with free passage to...well, she probably should have been more curious as to where they were going, but any hub for the Guild was likely to have plenty of options for space travel or at least a few well to do families that could hire her for their children. 

She just hoped the journey to wherever they were going was quick. She hated traveling in space. It was cramped, it was cold, and often brought up memories she did her best to bury down deep. She crossed her fingers for a short journey and focused on her footsteps to keep her churning mind at bay as they walked the rest of the way in silence.

* * *

When they reached the bounty hunter’s ship he stopped and selected a series of buttons on his vambrace. The ramp began to lower and once it thudded on the ground the trio made their way up into the belly of the ship. E’ly swallowed nervously. It was more cramped on the inside than it seemed. Equipment and mechanical works lined the edges of the walls creating limited space in which to move. But there was a bunk and a small galley area. E’ly forced herself to breathe and followed the Mandalorian further inside. She gasped involuntarily when she passed a small alcove near the ladder to the cockpit. It was outfitted with carbon freezing technology. Two blocks hung from the ceiling with bounties already ensconced inside. E’ly’s mouth dropped open and she looked towards the Mandalorian in silent fear. The black T of his mask stared back at her. 

He nodded at the stairs behind her. “Go up to the cockpit and wait there. Don’t touch anything.” 

E’ly nodded, her mouth dry. She scampered up the ladder and collapsed into the pilot’s chair. 

“Fuck,” she whispered as she breathed out. 

She heard a small scuffle down below as well as several insults from Erollosi. The Mandalorian must have taken the gag out. Another loud bang, some hissing, and then silence. She briefly wondered if she had gotten in over her head with this one. She didn’t _really_ think he would carbon freeze her but she associated that technology with the scum lord, Jabba. That was not a comforting thought. She hoped they were not going to Tatooine. 

E’ly squeezed her eyes shut, took a few deep breaths in through her nose, and then turned her attention to her rucksack. She opened it and pulled out the canteen of water she had packed and began to slowly sip from it. At that moment the Mandalorian appeared at the top of the ladder and cleared his throat. E’ly jumped and choked on the water she was drinking. 

“Kriff! Make some noise, man. Who climbs a ladder that quietly?” she questioned indignantly. 

“You’re in my seat,” was all he stated in return. 

E’ly rolled her eyes. “All yours, Mandalorian.” She moved to the smaller seat to his right, slouched down and wiped the water from where she had spilled it.

He sat in the pilot’s chair and began preparing the ship for take off. 

“Sooooo, where are we headed?” 

His helmet moved in her direction only slightly.

“Nevarro.” 

E’ly’s heart sank. That was at least three days travel time, if not longer. “How much travel time is that? Three days?”

“Four.” 

She nodded calmly even as she felt her chest constrict. She could do this. Just deep breaths. For four days. One bright spot though, she was pretty sure Nevarro was where her own Mandalorian friend currently resided. That must mean….

“So there’s a Mandalorian covert on Nevarro?”

The man in the pilot’s seat spun his body towards her abruptly, one hand moving towards his holster. “How do you know that?” he shot at her, his voice tight with suspicion. 

E’ly’s eyes widened again, she moved her hands up to her head in a gesture of innocence. 

“Whoa there. I’m friends with a Mandalorian. A woman. She’s like a blacksmith for her clan. Last I heard she was living on Nevarro. I figured if you were heading there too, it might be home.” 

Her response was met with silence. He stared at her, his helmet turned slightly to the side as if he was measuring her. “You’re _friends_ with the Armorer?” he finally inquired. His emphasis on the word “friends” made it sound like it was the first time he had used the word. She rolled her eyes again. 

“Yes, some Mandalorians are friendly.” 

More silence demonstrated that he was not appreciative of her snark. 

E’ly sighed as she explained. “We met on Chandrila. I helped her retrieve some stolen Beskar from a New Republic cache. She then helped me get off planet. We became _friends_ ,” she matched his tone of the word. 

He measured her a moment longer before relaxing his hands and swiveling his chair back to the viewport. 

“So you do favors for Mandalorians in exchange for safe passage off of planets,” he said evenly. 

She opened her mouth to defend herself but something in his demeanor made her realize this was a joke. She gave a bark of laughter instead. “Very funny.” 

He nodded his head in assent. E’ly gave another huff of laughter and relaxed back into her chair. “So,” she started, “You carbon freeze people?”

He inclined his helmet in her direction. “They’re quieter that way. And I don’t have to worry about them breaking out of their restraints.” He turned his head slightly more in her direction. “It bothers you,” he said without a question.

“A little,” she admitted. “I spent some time on Tatooine when I was younger. Jabba and the other Hutts used to display bounties frozen in carbonite. It was barbaric.” 

He sighed, the air escaping from his mask in a raspy breath. “Most of the people I bring in owe money to someone, and you can’t collect a debt from someone who is frozen. The carbonite just makes transportation easy.” 

“Yeah,” E’ly replied, not meeting his gaze.

“Would you rather I unfreeze them?” 

E’ly chuckled quietly and looked down at her hands. “No, I guess not.” 

“They’ll be safe,” he said steadily. “And I promise not to carbon freeze you.” 

E’ly looked at him and grinned. “I appreciate that.” 

He uttered a noise that sounded like agreement. 

“Can I use the fresher?’’ she inquired.

He nodded his head. “Down the ladder. There’s also a small galley. Help yourself to anything you find there if you’re hungry. And feel free to rest in the bunk if you need to.” 

E’ly was surprised at this. She supposed it was just basic politeness, but she couldn’t remember the last time someone had actually demonstrated politeness towards her. “Thank you. And if you need to eat or anything and need some privacy,” she stopped to motion at his helmet, “just tell me.” 

He was quiet before he spoke, “Thank you, I will” 

E’ly grabbed her rucksack and lowered herself into the belly of the ship.

* * *

She washed herself as best she could with the fresher sink. A shower could wait till later. She then dug a ration bar out of her rucksack and sat at the table to eat. He might have better food but she didn’t want to encroach on his rations if she didn’t have to. He had been generous enough. She took a few more sips of water as she took in her surroundings. The ship’s inside was sleek and utilitarian, but that seemed to suit him. There was a small bunk area where she could try and get some sleep, but the cot area was small and dark and the ship was cold. A recipe for her nightmares if there ever was one. It reminded her too much of the cell she had spent time in courtesy of the Empire. It had been dark, cold, and in space. And she had received the worst news of her life while laying in it. She would just have to see if she could catch some sleep in the cockpit off and on. For the next four days. 

She turned her head as he saw his feet appear from the cockpit. He lowered himself down and turned to face her. “Did you find anything to eat?” 

She motioned to the empty ration bar wrapper in front of her. He stared. “I told you to help yourself,” he said while motioning to the galley. 

“I did help myself. I helped myself to my own ration bars.”

His head moved up and to the side as a puff of air escaped the modulator. E’ly couldn’t see his face but she was willing to bet a large amount of money that he had just rolled his eyes. She would have won that bet. 

He moved to the rehydrator and opened several packets. He then opened the lid, placed them inside, and then set a timer. He turned to face her. “Are you tired?” 

“Nope,” E’ly replied. 

He nodded curtly. “Then I am going to eat and get a few hours sleep. Please knock on the door if you need anything.” He motioned towards the door of his bunk. 

“Do you mind if I sit in the cockpit while you sleep?” 

He considered her before answering. “That’s fine, just don’t touch anything.” 

“Trust me, I won’t. I don’t know the first thing about flying. I wouldn’t know what to touch.” He stared at her, unmoving. “That was meant to be reassuring,” she added. 

“It wasn’t.” 

E’ly grinned. “I promise not to touch anything whether I know what it does or not. I just want to look out the viewport.” 

He sighed and nodded, seemingly too tired to debate the point further. The timer on the rehydrator buzzed and he turned to attend to it. E’ly leaned back in her seat and shut her eyes as he rummaged around the galley. She opened her eyes when she heard something set down in front of her. A plate of warm food sat in front of her. She looked up at him quizzically. 

“Eat,” was all he said. She chuckled and nodded her head in assent. He dipped his own head, grabbed his plate and moved into the bunk area. 

“Goodnight,” she called to him.

“Goodnight.” He shut the door and she heard the lock click into place.


	3. The Attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Panic attacks. I struggled with POV this chapter. I wanted more of Din’s perspective but felt it was important that the panic attack be from E’ly’s. Also I know that everyone experiences panic attacks and anxiety differently. The descriptions here are based on my own experiences with them <3
> 
> But I really hope you like the chapter. This is soft Din here. He's my favorite.

Din removed his helmet and set it down on the shelf next to his bunk. He rubbed his hands over his face and let out a deep breath. This hadn’t even been a difficult bounty to capture. He was just tired and had not been able to sleep well lately. And now there was a strange woman roaming his ship. He believed he could trust her, his livelihood depended on his ability to decide whether to trust people very quickly. It had just been a very long time since he had been forced to cohabitate with anyone. Even for a short period of time. He could have left her there, but when he saw the panic in her eyes at the mention of the Imperial occupation he had already made up his mind to help to help her off the planet. 

Plus she really _was_ impressive. He liked her decisiveness and her quick thinking and bravery had allowed them to take down six stormtroopers _and_ capture his bounty in under a minute. 

And she knew the Armorer? And was _friends_ with her? Din had detected no lie in her voice or face when she had told her story but it was still hard to believe. But he did believe her. And free passage to wherever she wanted to go was the least he could do for someone who had helped his clan recover stolen Beskar. He reminded himself to check that Nevarro was really where she wanted to go. 

He began to undo the straps of his armor, stretching as he took each piece off and piled it on the shelf next to his helmet. 

He quickly devoured his food, drank some water from the canteen and then stretched out on the bed and allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

* * *

E’ly blinked as she tried to keep her eyes open. She had been reading in her datapad for the past few hours but it was becoming harder and harder to stay focused. Her body was telling her she needed sleep but there really was no comfortable place to curl up. Right now she was sitting on the floor of the cockpit with her head leaning on the front of the control panel. She stretched her feet out and yawned while squeezing her eyes shut. When she opened them her heart flew into her throat. A Mandalorian helmet was emerging through the opening in the floor. 

“Kriff, you scared the shit out of me. I told you, you’re too quiet when you climb that thing.” 

“Why are you on the floor?” He apparently had a habit of ignoring her statements. 

“Because I wanted to stretch out. Did you sleep well?” She asked and she stood up and sat back down in the copilot chair. He was no longer wearing his armor but rather a white tunic shirt and fitted grey utility pants. E’ly glanced at this more relaxed version of him and ran an appreciative gaze over his body. 

“Yes, I did. Thank you.” Tanned and muscular forearms moved across the controls as he sat down and checked the ship’s diagnostics. “You should go down and get some sleep.” 

E’ly cringed. “I’m okay, thank you though.” 

He swiveled his chair towards her at that, the visor of his helmet focused directly at her eyes. “Why not?” 

“I’m not really tired.” 

“You were yawning when I came up here.”

E’ly rolled her eyes and looked back down at her datapad. “I was bored. People yawn when they’re bored.”

“Your eyes were closed.”

She sighed. “Look, I’m not tired, okay? If you don’t want company that’s fine, I’ll go downstairs but I don’t need to go to sleep.” 

Din frowned. He had never had someone argue with him before about whether or not to sleep. But then again, he didn’t really spend a lot of time with beings that spoke back. 

“I don’t know how much time you spend in space but it is important to establish a consistent schedule.” 

She shot him a derisive look. “I am aware of that.” 

He paused and then tried a new tactic, realizing he didn’t know this woman and didn’t know what she might have gone through at the hands of others in the galaxy. “You can lock the door from the inside. I can’t get in if you do that,” he paused again, “if that’s what you’re worried about.” 

This statement caused her to lift her head and look at him. Her expression softened slightly. “No, I’m not worried about that.” 

He continued to look at her, now intrigued. “Then what?”

She sighed and looked out the viewport into hyperspace. “I just don’t sleep well in space. I usually only try to travel for a day or less. Short trips between planets so I don’t have to worry about sleeping,” she took a deep breath, “A few years ago I spent some extended time on a prison transport and after that...I just don’t sleep well. I get nervous. Sometimes there are nightmares.” As if to prove this point, her hands rubbed her thighs restlessly and she continued to pointedly look out into space. 

Ahh. Din knew adjusting to space travel, and even adjusting to new ways of living could be...very difficult. He had experienced that himself when he was younger. 

“Would you like me to drop you off somewhere that is closer? It would not be an imposition. You helped me with my bounty. You have returned Beskar to the clan. I would consider it an honor.”

E’ly gave him a grateful smile at this. Din liked the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled wide. “No. Thank you though. Now that I know where she is, I’d actually really like to go to Nevarro and see my friend. Plus, it’s not like I can just live like this for the rest of my life. I have to get over it at some point.” She put the datapad into her rucksack and rubbed her eyes. “I guess by that logic I should try and get some sleep.” She gave him a weak smile as she stood up. 

He nodded and turned his chair back to face the front. “I will be here if you need anything.” 

“Thank you.”

E’ly was turning to lower down the ladder when he spoke again.

“E’ly,” he began, her head raised to meet his gaze, “What is it that you did for work with the senator?” 

She smiled. “I’m a teacher. He hired me to tutor his son in political theory and history.” 

“So you teach politics and history?”

“I can teach almost anything. I was fortunate to have an extensive education as a child. And I’ve always loved to read and learn.”

“It is easy to find work doing this?”

“Pretty easy. Politicians and royal houses often want someone who has traveled extensively, and I have. When I teach for them I’m able to stay in one place for a while. It gives me some stability. Other times I’ll teach local children language skills in exchange for food or supplies from their parents.”

He paused. “You speak other languages?”

She grinned now. “Elek, beroya.”

Din stared, shock reflecting on the inside of his helmet and she descended the ladder and disappeared into the bottom of the ship.

* * *

E’ly woke with a jolt. Her heart was pounding and her mouth was dry. She tried to scramble out of bed but the sheet was wrapped around her ankles. She fell forward as she tried to walk forward and landed with her hands on the door as her knees thudded to the ground. She reached behind herself and untangled the sheet from her legs, realizing it was sticky with sweat as she did so. She pawed at the control panel by the door until it flew open and pushed herself out into the common area. She tripped again on the ledge between the room and the main area but this time instead of falling, two arms caught her on her biceps and steadied her. 

She let out a strangled cry as she stepped backwards abruptly, subsequently yanking the Mandalorian off balance. He caught himself as she continued to back up, her hands held out in defense in front of her. 

Realizing his error, the Mandalorian slowly raised his own hands up to show he would not touch her. “What do you need?” he asked. 

“Water,” she managed to gasp out. 

He turned with purpose behind him and snatched a canteen off the counter. He moved slowly as he walked towards her, holding it out in front of him like a peace offering. E’ly took it gratefully, but still struggled to breathe. She sat down on the floor and took a few small sips while struggling to control her breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth. She knew this but it was never easy to control in the midst of an attack. She crawled to the edge of the room and placed her back against the wall while closing her eyes. 

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Small sip of water. She focused on the feeling of the wall to her back and the liquid as it flowed through her mouth. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed but as her breathing slowed she took an even deeper breath and opened her eyes. The Mandalorian had taken a seat at the table and was...cleaning his weapons. E’ly almost laughed at this. The few times she had been unfortunate enough to have a public panic attack before, people tended to either smother her or tell her she was overreacting. This reaction was somewhat refreshing. He either didn’t care or had seen this before. She had a suspicion it was the latter. 

When he realized she was watching him he paused his work. “How are you feeling?”

“Better. Thank you.” 

He nodded and turned back to his weapons. _Now_ she was interested. “How did you know how to do that?”

He glanced down at the gun he was cleaning and then back at her. “Do what?”

“Give me space. Leave me alone.”

He cleared his throat. “Ah. I have, um, felt what you feel before.” 

E’ly continued to look at him, slightly shocked. That was not the answer she had been expecting. And even though she knew it was none of her business, she wanted to know more. “When?” she pressed. 

He looked at her without moving. He seemed to do this often, stare and consider his options. “When I first started to wear this,” he motioned towards his helmet, “I often found it very confining. My body reacted accordingly.” 

E’ly decided she found the preciseness of his speech very endearing. And comforting. He continued on.

“My _buir_ taught me how to control myself when this happened. And how to overcome it. Now my helmet is a source of comfort to me. But it takes practice.” He added this last bit on pointedly with a slight head tilt towards the bunk. “When I saw you clearly knew how to control yourself, I decided to just sit here, in case you needed anything else.” 

“Wow. Thank you.” E’ly wasn’t sure when she had last felt this much gratitude towards another person. 

He inclined his head in response. “I am sure you feel a lot of adrenaline at the moment. But you still need to sleep. You were only in there for 45 minutes.”

E’ly groaned. She thought it had been longer. “I’m not sure I can. I think I would rather just find places to rest around the ship until we get to Nevarro.” 

“I have a suggestion. If you are open to it.” 

E’ly raised her eyebrows in surprise and slight suspicion. “Okay?”

He took a breath. “Often it is the mind's inability to relax that causes such strong reactions in the body. If you could distract your mind while trying to go to sleep, it might help your body to relax enough for you to stay asleep peacefully.” 

E’ly’s face remained skeptical. She had no idea where he was going with this. 

“When I first started wearing the helmet my _buir_ would often tell me stories to help move my focus away from what I had to wear.”

She stared at him. “You’re going to tell me a story?”

He scoffed. “No. I’m going to read to you.” 

“You’re going to read me a story?”

“No.” He picked up a scuffed datapad from the counter behind him. “I’m going to read you a weapons manual.” 

At this, E’ly let out a bark of laughter. Of course he was. Typical Mandalorian. 

“Where would you…?” she trailed off. 

“I’ll pull this chair next to the bed.” 

“You won’t get bored?” 

“No. I reread the manuals for new weapons I have acquired. I like to make sure I know them completely. I need to do it anyway.” 

E’ly fell silent and looked down at her hands. It was a good idea, but she wasn’t used to others offering to help her. She was even less used to accepting help. 

“Why are you helping me?” she asked, still looking down.

He cleared his throat. “I don’t completely know. But I feel...a kinship with you. A connection. I am not sure how to verbalize it.” He sounded uncomfortable now and shifted where he sat. “And I know how you feel. And like I said, it _is_ important to establish routines while in flight.” 

She gave a soft smile. She knew what he meant. There was something between them. A kind of mutual understanding of the other that she hadn’t experienced before.

“Okay,” she responded softly.

He immediately stood up, grabbed his datapad off the table, and walked in front of her to offer his hand. She took it and he hauled her to her feet. 

“After you,” he said, motioning towards the door. She walked in and picked up the tangled sheet off the floor. She opened it out and shook it, pulling it back over her as she crawled back into the bed. He followed her in with the chair from the galley and fitted it in the small space between the bed and the wall. He glanced down at her before sitting.

“Are you cold?”

“Umm, yeah a little.”

He turned around and pulled something down from the shelves that were across from the bed. He handed her a square of thick, coarse material. She realized it was his cape. “Thank you,” she murmured as she unfolded it and spread it out over her.

“Are you comfortable?” he asked as acknowledgement. 

E’ly nodded, her eyes slightly wide at the novelty of the situation. 

“Good.” At this he turned the datapad on, glow illuminating the front of his helmet. He sat down in the chair, stretched out his legs in front of him, and began to read. 

E’ly shut her eyes, breathed deeply several times, and allowed herself to be lulled to sleep by the low sound of his voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Elek, beroya.” - “Yes, bounty hunter.”  
> Pronounced [EL-eck bair-OY-ah]
> 
> Buir - mother/father  
> Pronounced [boo-EER]
> 
> Thank you to manoda.org


	4. The Detour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, my dudes. When you google “rural planets star wars” it doesn’t yield any results. So they’re on an unnamed, rural, cold planet. 
> 
> Also, I really struggled writing this. I guess because it is kind of a bridge between the first and second act, as it were. But I do hope you like it and I promise we're getting to the good stuff soon. I mean she's about to go out into bitterly cold weather! How will she possibly not get frostbite?!

Din continued to read until E’ly’s breathing evened out completely. Her mind had struggled for a while but eventually her body stopped fidgeting and she seemed to be asleep. He remembered his own struggles with adapting to wearing his helmet and armor. He had been fortunate to have his family to understand his struggle and be patient with him. E’ly had apparently not been given this same opportunity. He sighed and turned the datapad off. He _did_ need to read the manual but his mind was racing too much at the moment to focus. He set it to the side and leaned his head back against the wall. With a last look at E’ly he shut his eyes and began to drift off, still leaning back in the chair next to the bed. 

A strangled gasp brought him to attention. 

E’ly was sitting straight up in the bed. Din leaned towards her but avoided touching her, remembering the strength of her reaction when he had grabbed her last time. 

“E’ly, are you awake?”

She took a long, strangled breath in response and ran her hands over her face. “Yes,” she replied hoarsely. 

He let her sit a few more moments as she began to even her breaths out. E’ly was already a good fighter. With the proper training she had enough control to be a great warrior. 

Din stood up and strode out of the room. He grabbed his canteen from the galley and brought it back to her. 

“Take a sip,” he ordered. 

The look she gave him told him he was dancing a little too close to ordering her around and further from actually being helpful. Noted. But she acquiesced regardless and then passed the canteen back to him. 

“You were asleep for almost two hours,” he told her. “That was good.” 

She sighed heavily and rubbed her eyes. “That’s probably as good as it is going to get for now,” she told him. 

Din thought about disagreeing but decided she had most likely pushed herself enough. 

“Okay. I am going to go check on the navigation systems. Feel free to join me if you would like.”

She gave a small nod, still not looking directly at him. He walked out of the quarters and climbed up to the cockpit.

* * *

The next 48 hours aboard _The Crest_ went by in a similar fashion. Din would attend to maintenance around the ship and his weapons cache while E’ly read and studied on her datapad. They took turns cooking and sleeping with both of them piling into the small sleeping quarters when it was E’ly’s turn. Her personal best asleep in space was now five and a half hours. She hadn’t believed Din when she had awoken after her most recent stretch of sleep. 

“Don’t lie to me, Mandalorian,” she had said, a smile playing at the edges of her mouth. 

He grinned inside his helmet but kept his tone neutral when he responded. “I am not lying.You slept for over five hours.” 

She threw her head back and laughed, her eyes crinkling in joy. “Wow,” she murmured to herself. Her face then abruptly sobered as she reached a hand out and rested it on his right pauldron. “Thank you,” she said solemnly. 

He nodded his head in response. She looked like she was going to say more but at that moment the ship gave a screeching lurch and threw E’ly forward in the bed. Din managed to maintain his balance as he slid out of the chair and crouched down on the floor. 

His armor came flying off the shelf in the room as alarms began to sound. E’ly helped him collect it from the floor and piled it into his arms. 

“What the fuck was that?” she shouted. 

“We’ve been kicked out of hyperspace.” He hoisted himself up and out into the common area. He quickly began strapping his armor back on as E’ly stumbled out behind him. 

Din secured the rest of his armor in record time and then scurried up the ladder with E’ly hot on his heels. Lights and alarms greeted him in the cockpit. The most concerning was the display which indicated an engine fire. He swore quietly. 

“What?” asked E’ly, her voice calm but worried. 

“Engine fire.” 

“Kriff.”

Din nodded as he pressed the controls to vent the engine in hopes of getting the fire under control. It seemed to help some but without an external repair they were dead in space. 

“We need to land for repairs. We’re fortunately near a planet.” He frowned at the scanners. “Low population though, but it looks like there is a settlement in the Northern hemisphere. We will aim for there. Strap in.” 

E’ly sat down in the copilot’s chair and strapped herself in and locked her rucksack between her legs. Din began the rocky descent to the planet’s surface.

* * *

An hour later they were wearily making their way through the small town. The Razor Crest was now docked with the local mechanic. Said mechanic was an older Toydarian whose chaotic shop did nothing to reassure either E’ly or the Mandalorian as to his mechanical prowess. But they had had little choice in the matter. 

The Mandalorian led the way with E’ly lagging slightly behind taking in the surroundings. This was probably the most rural planet she had ever been on. The technology was incredibly basic. While it wasn’t very evident during the day, E’ly could see that there were no streetlights or billboards. Most cities, even poorer ones, at least illuminated the street. She continued to follow the Mandalorian to the center of town where they stopped and looked around at their options. They had been forced to vacate the Crest while it was being worked on. The Toydarian said he didn’t like his clients living in his shop. The Mandalorian had balked at this and explained they were living on his ship, not in the shop but the Toydarian had then spouted something about local code. E’ly had rolled her eyes. She was willing to bet a year’s salary that he just didn’t want a Mandalorian peering over his shoulder while he worked. Eventually they had given in because it wasn’t like they could threaten to take their business elsewhere. 

She shivered as they made their way to the center of the town. All she had with her was thin pants, a long sleeved tunic, and a thin jacket. She was dressed for a much more temperate climate. She hoped the technology wasn’t so ancient that there was no heating because the sky was threatening to snow. 

Now they stood surveying no more than 20 buildings at the center of the town. Most were local shops with residences on the second floor. E’ly didn’t see a school anywhere and while fundamentally she disagreed with this, no educational facilities typically made it easier for her to barter for work. 

“Look.” The masked man pointed to a building behind her. She turned and saw a _very_ small inn. It was old and tattered with windows in varying states if disarray. Not the most welcoming of paces, but again, they had no other options. They walked inside and E’ly groaned inwardly at the temperature. It was somehow colder in here, but at least they would be sheltered from the inevitable storm that was rumbling in. And as much as she appreciated the kindness and support the Mandalorian had given her aboard the Razor Crest, she was looking forward to some privacy and a good night’s sleep. 

But when was the last time E’ly got what she wanted? 

“Sorry, only one room available,” the wizened woman told the Mandalorian after he inquired.

E’ly scowled. “You get a lot of visitors here?” she asked doubtfully. She couldn’t believe the inn was filled up. 

The woman grinned showing off several missing teeth. “Nope. That’s why there is only one room to rent in the whole place, darling.” 

E’ly and the Mandalorian looked at each other. She shrugged. 

“And there’s only one bed in the room,” the innkeeper tacked on with a wicked look at E’ly. She responded with a scowl. 

She heard a huff from underneath the Mandalorian’s armor. He clearly wasn’t happy about this arrangement either. “Fine,” he intoned as he dropped the credits on the counter. She slid him a key made of durasteel in return. E’ly’s mouth gaped open. She wasn’t sure if she had ever seen a physical key like this one. She was used to keycards or codes. For once she wished she could see the Mandalorian’s expression. She had no idea if this lack of technology was also an anomaly for him. He grunted his thanks and palmed the key. The woman motioned to the winding staircase to their right and told them the room was at the top. 

“Enjoy your stay!” she called after them as they moved up the stairs. E’ly resisted the urge to give her another dirty look. It wasn’t the woman’s fault that E’ly was becoming increasingly cranky at her current situation. 

The Mandalorian unlocked the door and they both entered the room. It was pitch black. E’ly squinted to try and find a light source but couldn’t find anything. The Mandalorian flicked on a light attached to his helmet and located the single overhead light. It flickered on and exposed the room. It was simple and bare as was to be expected. A medium sized bed was pushed up against the far wall with all of the windows shuttered closed, no doubt to keep the cold weather out. A refresher was attached to the room. E’ly moved over to investigate it. It had warm running water. Small mercies. While she searched out the frivolities, the Mandalorian scanned the room for potential threats. E’ly was torn between thinking his level of vigilance must be exhausting and thinking she could stand to be a little more cautious in the future. She removed her rucksack and sat down on the edge of the bed and began to rummage through it. The exhaustion of the past couple days in space was starting to wear on her bones. She wanted a shower and a change of clothes. And a hot meal that wasn’t rations. 

She suddenly became very aware of the close quarters she was in with this man she barely knew. It wasn’t as if The Razor Crest was very big but at least it had function. It had been _traveling_ somewhere. They had been doing something, had tasks to attend to and a ship to monitor. Now they were stuck. She was stuck. Stuck in an intimate situation on a backwoods planet with a deadly warrior that she had actually begun to open up to. The part where she had begun to trust and confide in him suddenly terrified her more than the “deadly warrior” part. Suddenly the room felt much smaller than it already was. A shower could wait. She stood up and turned to him. 

“Well, we’ve got a few hours until nightfall. I’m going to explore the town and see about getting us some food.” 

He stared at her in silence before he spoke. “Do you have credits?”

“Yes. But I’m not planning on using them unless I have to. I’m going to see if anyone needs a tutor for a few days. If not that, I can pick up whatever job that needs done in exchange for some food or extra credits.” 

Silence again. Did he ever speak without thinking first? “I am planning on doing the same,” he paused. “It would be better if you remained here.” 

E’ly felt a jolt of unexplained rage flow through her. “Excuse me, but where do you get off thinking you can tell me what to do with my time? I appreciate what you’ve done for me so far but that does _not_ mean you have any type of authority over me.” She enunciated the word “not” with a push on his breastplate. 

He straightened at this and squared his shoulders. She felt for the first time the intimidation that his quarries must feel. But she would not be daunted. He remained very still. She narrowed her eyes. A weaponless standoff. He stepped closer to her, closer than she would normally allow another being to stand. She tilted her head up to meet his visor and crossed her hands over her chest in defiance. 

“I am very aware I have no authority over you, nor would I want to,” his voice deadly calm and quiet. “I was considering the weather. You were cold while we walked and are not dressed for this planet. I am.” 

E’ly felt irrationally angry at how practical he was being. This coupled with her growing sense of embarrassment at how much she had shared with him the past few days prompted her to react emotionally, something she hated doing. But she needed out of this room, she needed space. She needed to make her own decisions for a few hours. 

So without a word she turned on her heel and marched down the stairs and out into the growing storm.


	5. The Solace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay kids, here it is. This is a very long chapter (at least for me). Like I said at the beginning, this is my first time writing smut so please be gentle with any criticism. But I hope it is good and that you enjoy this scene between these two. All my favorite tropes are thrown into this one, hence the longer chapter. Also, I'm clearly in the camp of "if you take of the helmet when it's dark it doesn't count." 
> 
> Enjoy <3

Din watched E’ly march out of the inn with a defiant look on her face. He was slightly bewildered by her sudden change in demeanor. He hadn’t meant to insult her, he just didn’t want her to feel obligated to get supplies for them. He had enough to last them a few days here. Although he probably would have displayed the same insistence had the roles been reversed. He sighed and considered his next steps. He had meant to go straight to the local bar and inquire if anyone needed some intimidation for hire, but he didn’t want E’ly to feel like he was following her. He glanced at the refresher. A hot shower actually sounded great. 

He flipped the lock on the door and began to shed his armor.

* * *

Showered, dry, and once again clad in his armor, Din made his way back to the woman at the front desk. She was sitting behind it, knitting. He idly wondered what she did when there weren’t guests at the inn, which he imagined was most of the time. 

“Which way is the closest bar?”

She looked up, squinting behind thick glasses. “East. Your companion asked the same question.”

He nodded in thanks and walked outside. He navigated towards the bar passing several other buildings in various states of disrepair on his way. Even through his armor and layers he could feel the wind picking up and the temperature continuing to drop. He felt a twinge of annoyance at E’ly. He knew she was an adult responsible for her own actions, but he also knew she had made an emotional decision to storm out of the inn and might not be thinking rationally. He sighed. It had been a long time since he had to consider someone else’s emotions. It was exhausting. 

He strode into the building ignoring the silence that fell over the crowd as he walked towards the bar. He was used to this by now. The sizing up of him. He scanned the bar as we walked looking for E’ly. He didn’t see her. He motioned to the bartender. 

“I’m looking for a woman.” 

“Aren’t we all, my friend.”

Din rolled his eyes. “She was in here about an hour ago. Light brown hair. Blue eyes.” 

The bartender turned to face him now, her eyes narrowing. “I know who you’re talking about. What’s she to you?”

“I just need to find her.”

“Well I’m not going to sic a Mandalorian on an innocent woman. Why do you need to find her?”

Din scoffed. Of course E’ly had already managed to garner allegiance from the locals. 

“We’re traveling together.” 

The bartender continued to look suspicious of him. “She didn’t mention she was traveling with anyone, much less a Mandalorian.” 

He was starting to feel annoyed. He could be using this time to find a local job, a few extra credits in his pocket, but instead he was inquiring about a woman who most likely didn’t even want to be found by him. “Look, I just want to know that she’s safe. You can ask the woman who runs the inn. We came in together.” 

“I’ll just do that then,” she replied. “You wait here.” Din sighed as the woman stepped into a back room and turned on a rudimentary communicator. She spoke into it for a few minutes and then came back to him. “Your companion made her way up towards the farmlands. Just north of here. The Reeven family lives up that way. She went to see if they need any help with the children.” 

“Thank you.” 

She turned her head towards the window. “Storm is starting to come in hard,” she said motioning outside, “You might want to go get her before she freezes to death. It’s a little over an hours walk to the farm.” 

Din just stared. “Yes, that is why I am trying to find her.” 

The bartender reached under the bar and swiped a pair of keys. There’s a speeder out back. Feel free to borrow it to go pick her up. Just park it outside the inn when you get back.” 

He stared at her again, whiplash from the sudden change of attitude. She must have guessed this so she grinned. “Sella over at the inn is delighted to finally have guests. And she said you’re a lovely couple. Wouldn’t want your girl to freeze her ass off in the storm. I’m sure you don’t want that either.”

“We’re not…” he cut himself off. It didn’t matter. “Thank you for the speeder.” He swiped the keys from the counter and walked out the door.

* * *

E’ly was freezing. And lost. She wasn’t sure which one she was more concerned about. She had taken off in the direction of a local farm, assured by the locals she would be able to find it with no problem. She had walked quickly for the first half an hour, fueled mostly by anger and adrenaline. But as that wore off she suddenly began to realize how cold she was. She was also concerned about the fact that even with the flat terrain, she couldn’t see any site of a farm. She should have asked for more implicit instructions to make sure she was going in the right direction. At this point she wasn’t sure whether or not to turn around and head back into town or to try and find the farm before nightfall, which was rapidly descending. Annoyance with herself deepened. She wasn’t normally this incompetent. She wasn’t the person who got stuck in the middle of nowhere to freeze to death. She was confident and competent. She had to be. She had relied on only herself for years. 

But for the past few days she had let herself grow more comfortable with the masked man. She had deferred to him for some decisions. She told him about her fears. She had started to rely on him. Rely on someone other than herself. She hated herself for it. She began walking faster, fueled now by embarrassment and shame. However, her speed was quickly quelled by the freezing feeling that was setting in her limbs. She could feel her body starting to shake. This was not good. Fear was beginning to creep in as she started to scan the landscape ahead of her for any type of shelter she could take for the night.

Suddenly she heard a familiar buzzing behind her. She turned to see a speeder bike flying towards her. Atop it sat the Mandalorian. She felt a mixture of relief and increased embarrassment. Relief that she wouldn’t freeze to death. Embarrassment that she wasn’t able to get to safety on her own. He braked the bike in front of her and scooted forward. 

“Get on,” he ordered. 

She opened her mouth to argue out of pure stubbornness when he pulled a gun from his holster. 

“I will stun you and drag you back if you do not get on right now.” 

She glared at him. She didn’t think he would really stun her, but she didn’t know him well enough to be completely sure. Plus, he was clearly angry with her. Best not aggravate him. She nodded and swung her leg over the back of the speeder and wrapped her arms around his torso. He holstered his gun and hit the gas. The speeder lurched forward as he pointed it in the direction of the town.

* * *

By the time they reached the inn, E’ly was shaking uncontrollably. Her hands were frozen and the wind had cut into her from behind, freezing her core. The Mandalorian dismounted the speeder and she almost lost her balance when she no longer had him to hold on to. However he turned and caught her before she fell forward. He helped her off the bike and pushed her towards the doorway. They walked inside and E’ly was instantly thankful for the lack of wind. However, it was still cold and dank. She didn’t know how the old woman stood it. 

“Do you have a heater we can borrow?” the Mandalorian asked the innkeeper. Her eyes widened at the sight of E’ly trembling. 

“We have one but the wind just knocked out the electrical grid. No power. Refresher still works though if you want to thaw her out the old fashioned way.” E’ly couldn’t tell if she was joking but her eyes started to tear up at the thought of no heat in the building. She was starting to wonder if she actually would die of the cold. 

The Mandalorian swore, a sign that she really was in bad shape and he propelled her forward to the stairs. She managed to climb to the top and he unlocked the door; they both spilled into the room. He tried to turn the light on but then remembered the power had been cut. 

E’ly was still shaking, he took her hand and felt her weak pulse. The room was warmer than outside but still cold. She could become seriously injured if she didn’t warm up soon. Instantly he made a decision for the both of them and hoped she would have enough sense not to fight him. 

“Take off your clothes, get in bed.” Her eyes widened. 

“Kr-kriff that, M-mandalorian,” she stuttered out. 

She was infuriating. But she did start to remove her shoes and walk towards the bed. Was the immediate disagreement a reflex? He began to unstrap his own armor, stripping down to an undershirt, pants, and helmet. By the time he was done and had laid out his armor as neatly as possible she was in the bed curled up in a ball, shaking. He slid into bed next to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She shoved him off. 

“Don’t. Th-this is m-my fault.”

He sighed, his anger towards her subsiding. “So? We all make mistakes. That doesn’t mean you should freeze to death for it. And if you don’t let me help you, you’ll make it worse.” He had at least gathered that she always tended to respond to sound reasoning rather than appeals to emotion. He was right. She rolled over and slid a little closer to him. This time she let his hand stay on her arm. He suddenly realized how close she was to him. And how much closer she would have to be if he wanted to warm her up quickly. His breath hitched. She looked up at him, still shaking. 

He took a deep breath and moved completely on his side as close to her as he dared. They were now face to face. He gently nudged her back, encouraging her to move closer to him. Surprisingly, she acquiesced. She fisted his shirt and buried her face in his chest; he let his arms come around her in an embrace, pulling her even closer to him. He felt her tense up at this but after a few moments she leaned into it, still shaking. He rubbed his hands up and down her back arms trying to create more warmth for her. She snaked her hands under his shirt and rested them against his chest. He hissed. They were blocks of ice. 

“Sorry,” she muttered.

“It’s okay. That’s why I’m here.” 

She hummed. “You’re w-warm.” 

“Yes.” 

He felt her take in a gulp of air as if she was going to speak; she stopped herself.

“E’ly, what is it?”

“N-nothing.”

His voice lowered to a warning. “E’ly.”

He felt her knock her head against his chest a few times. “I was going to s-say, I should do what you said to do earlier.” 

Ah. Remove her clothes. He felt a flutter of nervousness. “Yes, that would be more practical.” 

At that she reached to the hem of her shirt, he loosened his grip on her to allow her to move easier. She shakily moved it over her head and set it on the bed next to them. She then shucked her pants, kicking them towards the bottom of the bed. She rolled back close to him clad only in her bra and underwear; she snaked her entire forearms up his shirt in an effort to warm herself more. 

“Hold on,” he muttered, and he removed his own shirt and then gathered her back into his arms. Her skin was still cold against him but he could tell she was starting to shake less. He held her tightly, resting the brim of his helmet on the top of her head. 

El’y wasn’t sure how much time passed but eventually her shaking subsided. She took a ragged breath to relax herself. Her current situation was doing nothing to ebb her embarrassment, but at least she no longer felt like she was going to freeze. She suddenly became very grateful that the power outage had knocked out the lights. She wasn’t sure she could face him right now. 

As if the electrical gods could hear her, suddenly a whirring started in the room and the power clicked on flooding them with dim light. She groaned. 

With a slight laugh he asked, “do you want me to turn the light off?”

“Yes, please,” she responded, her voice muffled in his chest. He got up and turned the light off, once again leaving them in pitch black darkness. He easily found his way back to the bed with his helmet and laid next to E’ly, letting her choose whether she still needed him. 

Apparently she did. She rolled back into his chest and he let his arms come back around her. She sighed. “Thank you. For coming after me.” 

“I wasn’t going to leave you out there.” 

“You could have. I would have deserved it for leaving like that. And like I said before, you're not responsible for me.”

“Why did you?” He had his suspicions, but wanted to hear her voice it, if she could. 

After a slight pause she spoke. “I struggle with being vulnerable with others. On the rare occasion it happens, I tend to raise my hackles in self defense. I was starting to feel scared at how much I was trusting you. So I bolted. I definitely should have been more careful. I usually am. But I just started to feel that it was too much.” 

He was silent for a moment. “I know how you feel.”

She scoffed. “Really? Vulnerability a big theme in your life?” She softly rapped her knuckles on his helmet. She had a point. It had been a long time since he had been vulnerable with anyone. In any sense of the word. A long time since he had let himself trust anyone or given them a chance. Mostly there had been no one worth trusting. 

“You’re not wrong,” he told her quietly. 

E’ly didn’t have a response for that and they were quiet for several moments. 

“Can you see anything?” He asked, suddenly. 

She wrinkled her brow in confusion. “What? No. It’s pitch black in here.” 

He paused before he made a move, making sure he was thinking with both his head _and_ heart. But he was human too. He got lonely too. And he trusted her. He couldn’t completely articulate why, but he knew she was worthy of his trust. 

“Good.” He finally responded and moved his hands to the side of his helmet before he could change his mind. He lifted it up off the top of his head and set it on the side table with a slight clang. 

“What the _fuck_ did you just do?” She sputtered. 

“You said you couldn’t see me. The helmet is a function of secrecy. You can’t see my face; therefore, I am not breaking The Way.”

“But that...you can’t…” she stammered. She had asked him no questions about his creed or choices, but she imagined this flew against what she understood about The Way. He was unsure himself, but this seemed right. 

She finally seemed to articulate a coherent thought. “That seems like cheating.” 

He snorted. “It’s a grey area.”

“A grey area,” she repeated faintly.

“Yes.” 

“Why?” She asked softly. “Why with me?”

He paused, thinking. “I trust you. And you’re right. I don’t practice vulnerability often. Mostly that helps me survive. But sometimes it makes me feel...lonely.” 

E’ly moved her hand to his face hesitantly and then and gently stroked his cheek. “Yes, I imagine it does.” 

He sighed and leaned into her hand, letting his forehead come forward and rest against hers. At the same time his hand moved to rest on her bare waist. He moved his thumb back and forth across her skin. 

They both closed their eyes for several moments, each breathing deeply. She could feel his breath on her skin every time he exhaled. 

“You’re probably warm enough now,” he murmured against her forehead.

She shifted her body closer to his. “Yeah, I probably am.” They now lay with their chests together, her breasts pressed up against him. She could feel him hardening against her stomach and could feel his pulse racing. She knew that it matched her own. She ran one hand down his bicep and let the other slowly graze against his chest. He groaned into her ear and tightened his hand on her waist as she swiped her thumb over his nipple.

“E’ly,” his voice cracked. “Do you want me to let go of you?”

She moved her lips to his neck and gently kissed him where his pulse thrummed. “No,” she whispered back. He groaned again and the noise caused a hot pressure to build between her legs. He moved the hand that was holding her waist to her thigh. He rubbed his hand up and down the top of her leg and her waist, the other adding pressure to her back. She allowed her own hands to explore, moving them further down and across his chest and then grabbing his arms. Their hands continued to wander, E’ly moved one to his back, digging into his muscles. He gently moved the hand that had been massaging her waist to rest lightly on her backside. He increased the pressure of his hand and E’ly let out a contented sigh.

He suddenly released his grip and tightened his arms around her and crushed her to his chest in a tight embrace. She could feel his lips in her hair. She brought her hands up and massaged his shoulders, confused at the sudden stop of their explorations. 

“Are you okay?” 

His laugh was strangled. “Yes, I am very okay.” She smiled against his chest, she moved her mouth and kissed his sternum, the only bit of him she could currently reach with her mouth. He sighed and relaxed his hold on her. 

“Do you want to stop?” she asked, still at a loss for the sudden lack of movement. 

“No, I don’t want to stop. But I want to tell you something before we continue.” 

She smiled into the darkness. Always so formal. “Okay, what is it?”

He was silent for a moment before he hummed out what she assumed was a Mando’a phrase. “Din Djarin.” 

E’ly frowned. “I don’t know what that means.” 

He chuckled and kissed her temple in response. “I don’t know what it means either. But it’s my name.” 

She gave a sharp intake of breath. Mandalorians rarely shared their names outside their own clans. 

He continued. “I would like you to use it when we are together. When it is just us, I would like you to call me by my name.” 

This time the precision of his words caused her heart to soar. She brought her lips to his and left only a fraction of space between them. “Din Djarin,” she breathed out. “Kiss me, please.” 

With a grunt he pressed his lips down onto hers. E’ly’s mind went blank. She kissed him back fervently, moving her fingers to lace through his hair. At this he moaned. She opened her mouth to deepen the kiss and tightened her grip in his hair. He pushed her down on her back in response without breaking contact with her mouth. E’ly hummed in contentment. Every sensation was heightened by the fact that she couldn’t see him, and somehow that was better. She was able to set aside insecurities that had plagued her in the past and simply _feel_ him. 

He pulled back from her mouth and moved his lips to her neck. He gently sucked and nipped at the skin there. E’ly instinctively spread her legs beneath him, pulling him even closer to her. She could feel his erection through his pants. The thought of him hard for her made her moan and she lifted her hips to try and push against him. 

He chuckled softly and kissed her collarbone. “I’m not in a rush, are you?” 

She smiled. No, she wasn’t in a rush. But she still wanted him. She kissed his cheekbone and gently intertwined her fingers back in his hair, tightening as she went. He gave a strangled gasp at this. Apparently being wrapped up in his helmet constantly meant he was extra sensitive when she touched his scalp. She moved her hands to the bottom of his neck and dug her fingers in while kissing him deeply, again bucking up her hips to try and meet his. 

“Are you in a rush _now_?” she teased. 

He kissed her back but moved to rest on his knees and forearms, infuriatingly out of her reach. She clicked her tongue against her teeth in disappointment. He kissed her neck again. Then her sternum. Then he slowly moved his hands to the sides of each of her breasts, letting his thumb ghost across the top of her bra. Her core began to pulse and her breathing sped up. He moved his hands to the bottom of her bra and slowly began to pull it up over her head. He was moving too slowly. She let go of his head and pulled her bra off herself and tossed it across the room. She felt a huff of laughter against her chest before a feather light kiss was placed on her nipple.

She groaned. She had no idea how he was exercising this much control. If it were up to her they both would have come by now. It was probably better that it wasn’t entirely up to her. Entirely.

“Din, please,” she panted against his ear. At the sound of his name he took her nipple in his mouth and gently sucked, his other hand caressing the opposite breast. She felt a jolt of electricity run through her body as he used his tongue to lick the taut peak. She arched her back and cried out. Her noise must have spurred him on as she felt his hands move to her waist and tighten as he started to kiss his way down her stomach. Her center clenched in anticipation. She placed her hands back on his head, scraping her nails slightly against his scalp. She felt him mutter something against her hip, but couldn’t hear him. It didn’t matter. 

His mouth and hands moved lower and lower. He moved his hands to the top of her underwear and she lifted her hips. This time he shed her clothes without hesitation. He grabbed her ass and pressed a kiss to the inside of her thigh. 

“Fuck,” she choked out. “Grab my ass harder.” There was a slight moment of delay before he increased the strength of his grip. E’ly whimpered at the increased pressure. He kissed her opposite thigh. That wasn’t good enough. She wanted his mouth on her cunt. She directed his head between her legs. He lay a gentle kiss right at her center and she arched her back with a gasp. He swiped his tongue from the bottom of her folds all the way to her top, stopping there to gently suck her clit. She widened her legs as he moved his hands to her thighs, grabbing the backs of them hard and pressing them back against her stomach. He began to move his mouth on her cunt with more fervor, licking and tasting her as they both moaned. He moved one hand down to grip her ass and let her leg rest against his shoulder. E’ly kept one hand laced in his hair as she moved the other to her own nipples and began to touch herself. She began to thrust her hips towards his face, increasing the pressure of his mouth on her center. 

He moved his tongue back and forth over her clit, varying the pressure as he massaged her ass with his hands. She was so close. He began to gently suck her as one of his hands moved to touch her center. He slowly began to insert a finger into her, then another and he continued devouring her with his mouth. 

“Don’t stop,” she rasped out. 

E’ly began to thrust against him, meeting his fingers and mouth as her climax built. She felt herself to become undone and unable to control herself, she let out repeated cries as he tipped her towards the edge. She came with an unrestrained cry. Din softened his grip on her but continued to move his fingers in and out of her and slowly licked her bud until the sensation was too much for her and she pushed his mouth away from her. 

He pulled his fingers from her and she whimpered at the sensation. Her legs began to tremor and he gently extended them back down and moved himself up to lay next to her. He brought his mouth to hers and kissed her gently, more gently than anyone had ever kissed her before. She tasted herself on his lips and hummed against him, shimming her body to rest flush against his. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight against him as tremors worked their way out of her body. 

“Fuck,” she whispered against his neck. 

She felt him smile against her hair. “Enjoy that, did you?” 

She kissed his neck in response. “Absolutely, I did.” E’ly closed her eyes as he continued to hold her and her breathing evened out. In the span of an hour she had gone from angry, cold, and defensive to calm, warm, and sated. She wanted to savor the feeling. 

“You’re beautiful,” he murmured. 

She chuckled. “You can’t even see me.”

“You’re beautiful,” he repeated adamantly as his hands roamed her body. She lifted her head from his chest and found his lips, kissing him deeply. She pushed at his shoulders until he was flat on his back and then swung a leg over his waist to straddle him. Now calm and in control, E’ly ran her hands down his torso admiring the toned muscle as she went. She mirrored his movements from earlier, kissing at his neck, then chest, running her hands and tongue over his nipples and kissing down to his stomach. 

She moved her hands to the waistband of his pants and began to pull them down. He let out a strangled hiss. “E’ly, you don’t have….”

“Shut up, Din” she interrupted, shooting her body up to kiss him on his mouth. He murmured his agreement and then lifted his hips in an attempt to remove his pants. She laughed and moved back down to assist. She pulled them off along with his underwear and let them drop haphazardly on the floor. She grabbed hold of his thighs with her hands, appreciating the solid muscle of them. She kissed the inside of both his thighs before moving to his center and hovering her breath over his penis. She ran one of her hands lightly over his shaft. The effect of this was a growing heat between her own legs as he hardened beneath her and an urgent panting from him. 

She wet her lips and then gently kissed the base of his shaft. She kissed her way up to the head and then used her tongue to swirl circles around the top. When she did this he tightly wound his fingers in her hair and moaned. Encouraged by his noises she used her tongue to lick down the front and back of his penis while moving her hands to grab hold of his ass. 

He let out a string of Mando’a swear words at this and tried to buck his hips up towards her. She pushed him back down towards the bed and without warning took him in her mouth and sucked. The grip on her hair tightened. She kept one hand on his ass, squeezing, while the other grabbed the bottom of his shaft where her mouth could not reach. She bobbed her hand and mouth up and down simultaneously swirling her tongue around his head. She tasted precum in her mouth and swallowed it down. He continued to moan and felt herself becoming wet in response. She had forgotten how powerful it could feel to cause another person pleasure. 

Emboldened by the dark and his noises she pulled him from her mouth with a faint pop of her lips and sat up, pushing his hands out of her hair. She straddled his waist again and then turned around so she was facing away from him and then slowly began to move her pussy back until it was hovering over his face. When he realized what she was doing he made a depraved gasp and then grabbed hold of her ass, bringing her folds back to his mouth. She whimpered and brought her own mouth back to his dick, again bobbing her mouth and hand back and forth over his length. They continued like this for what felt like an eternity. Each moving their mouths against the other, licking and swallowing as they moaned and moved in unison. 

E’ly felt drunk with power and dizzy at the pleasure radiating from her head to her cunt. Suddenly he rolled them over and pulled his dick out of her mouth. She whimpered at the loss of contact and grabbed for his ass but he was already turning himself around. He straddled her and leaned down to kiss her. The kiss was deep and mixed with the taste of their arousal. He broke the kiss and moved down to suck on her neck, no doubt leaving marks behind in his wake. He moved his mouth to her ear and whispered, “I want to come inside of you.” 

She gave a wanton cry in response and brought her calves up to wrap around his waist. He reached down to direct himself to her opening, settling himself at her entrance. 

“Go slow at first, please,” she managed to gasp out. He murmured agreement and slowly began to thrust into her. He pushed himself in a small amount and then pulled back out, kissing her on the mouth as he did so. She wrapped his arms around his shoulders and bit gently at his neck. He pushed back into her a little further and stilled for a moment, pausing to kiss her again. This time, instead of pulling back out he thrust slightly more inside of her. She was overwhelmed at the sensation, both of him and the way he followed her instruction perfectly. She wasn’t sure if she had ever had a partner who listened to her so completely. The thought made her heady. She wrapped her legs around his body as tight as she could and pushed him inside of her the rest of the way. They both groaned and he stopped momentarily to rest his forehead against hers. 

“You’re perfect,” she whispered into his ear. 

“So are you,” came his response. He kissed her on the mouth again and they both began thrusting their hips towards the other. 

The only sound in the room was their labored breathing and the repeated slapping as their bodies pressed together. E’ly moved one hand between them and massaged her clit as he thrust into her. He nipped at her neck and began to massage her nipples. She felt herself begin to clench around him and she came undone for the second time, this time with a breathy whimper at his ear. The sound of her orgasm and the feeling of her walls clenching around his dick snapped an urgency into him. He picked up speed and began to jolt into her with a greater force. She began to shake as the aftershock of her climax radiated through her body. She thrust against him in unison, her legs still wrapped around him. Her fingers pulled at his hair and he gave a few more strangled breaths before dropping his head into the crook of her neck and came inside of her. He moaned as his thrusting morphed into uncontrolled movements, completely spilling himself inside of her. E’ly wrapped her hands around his shoulders and pulled him down so his weight was completely on top of her. They were both sweaty and panting but she wanted to relish the sensation of him inside of her and wrapped around her. 

After several long moments he kissed her gently on the mouth and they both groaned as he pulled out of her and dropped down beside her. E’ly’s legs shook as her body started to relax again. 

“Fuck,” he said. 

“My thoughts exactly.” She smiled as a kiss was pressed next to her eye. They laid side by side for several minutes, each catching their breath. 

“Stay here, I’ll get something to clean you up.” 

She couldn’t have argued with him if she wanted to. She heard him lean over and pick up something metal. His helmet, she realized. He got up out of the bed and turned the dim overhead light on. E’ly squinted as her eyes adjusted and saw him disappear into the refresher. She heard the water running and he walked out a moment later with a towel in his hand. Her mouth gaped open at him. 

He froze. “What’s wrong?”

She crinkled her eyes and chuckled. “Nothing is wrong, you’re just...well, beautiful.” 

“Oh,” was the timid response she got back. But beautiful was the only way to describe him. He was slightly tan, a few shades darker than her and all sinewy muscle. There were scars littered in various spots over his body but it only added to his masculine figure. She pushed herself up on her elbows to continue to admire the body that had just been inside of her. At her movement the visor of his helmet angled down a fraction of an inch and she knew without a doubt he was now taking her own body in. A sudden wave of shyness came over her, realizing suddenly that this was the first time he was actually seeing her naked. Out of instinct she moved to cover herself but he walked towards the bed and sat down next to her. 

“I don’t think so,” he said softly. He gently nudged her legs apart and began to wipe away the cum that was leaking of her from between her legs with the towel. She allowed herself to relax and sank back into the bed with her eyes closed. “If _I’m_ beautiful,” he started, pausing to press a tender kiss to her mouth, “then there are no words to describe what you are.” 

E’ly felt a blush creep across her cheeks. She relaxed into his touch as he finished wiping away the remnants of their orgasms. She felt him stand up and opened her eyes, gazing at his toned backside as he reached to turn the light off again. 

“Wait a second,” she spoke up, before he turned the light on. She sat up and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “I need to use the refresher first.” 

He nodded and stretched back on the bed, one hand tucked behind his helmet, the rest of him completely exposed. E’ly had half a mind to ravish him again just for having the gall to look sexy like that. Instead she reached into her rucksack and extracted a loose shirt and a pair of underwear and stepped into the refresher. She relieved herself, put on the shirt and underwear, and peered at herself in the mirror. She looked wanton. Her hair was frazzled and her cheeks were flushed. She splashed water on her face and spooned some into her hand to drink. She dried her hands and then stepped back out into the bedroom. 

He tutted when she saw she had covered up and she grinned in response and shrugged. “I’m more comfortable this way.” 

He gave an exaggerated sound of annoyance and she laughed. “Is it okay if I turn the light off?” she asked. 

“Yes,” was his simple response. She flicked the light off and crawled into the bed next to him. She heard a sudden thump as he set his helmet down on the table next to the bed. Instinct moved her to want to scoot closer to him but she was suddenly unsure if he wanted that until a hand reached out and swept down her arm. She sighed with pleasure and moved closer to him, tucking her head to settle on his shoulder. He wrapped one arm around her and let the other snake up her shirt to rest on her rib cage. She turned her face up and found his mouth. They kissed lazily for several minutes before E’ly suddenly pulled away to yawn. 

He laughed and squeezed her tight. “We should sleep,” he murmured in a husky voice. 

She hummed her agreement and nestled her body tighter against him draping her leg in between his. She started to drift off to see when a thought occurred to her. 

"Din?" she questioned. 

He hummed in response. 

"Would you really have stunned me if I had refused to get on the bike with you?" 

She felt his lips press against the top of her head and he kissed her softly. "Absolutely." 

She snorted and then nestled her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and she began to drift off to sleep contented and happy.


End file.
